


Plasmius' Menace

by Dawn_Khee



Series: My Brother is Half Ghost [3]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Suspense, Vlad's a little stink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2020-10-24 10:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20704586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Khee/pseuds/Dawn_Khee
Summary: A collection of Tumblr prompt fills, basically. Chapter summaries should tell what each one-shot is about.





	1. Capes

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Prompt~ Vlad thoroughly regrets including a cape in his outfit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vlad should have watched the first Incredibles movie. He should have taken that piece of advice: No Capes! Cape or no cape, that is the question.
> 
> Either way, hijinx courtesy of the Masters siblings will ensue. The real question is this- were the hijinx good idea in hindsight?

Vlad felt his cape snag- butter biscuits, this thing never gave him trouble before. No matter how much he tugged, pulled and yanked it was caught. Phasing through did no good- that usually worked. Ghost or ghost hunter, _ someone _was an idiot. Turns out it was _his _idiot.

In the mud, the heels of her shoes dug in and she was dead set on keeping a grip on the cape. Vlad managed to twist around and growl at her only to have her dig into the earth more and pull a little harder. Of all the hindrances, this was perhaps the worst. Yet it was the only hindrance he would forbear. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Let," he sighed in annoyance. "go."

"Nyeh!" she went.

Vlad pinched the bridge if his nose, knowing he'd get nowhere if he let her know he was annoyed. Yet, if the other ghosts saw he'd never hear the end of this. On one hand, he had forgotten how insufferable she was, on the other he had forgotten how wonderful she could be. Either way, she was a brat like Daniel.

Vlad thoroughly regretted that cape for a few more seconds. Managing to pull his cape free, he floated to where his feet were at her knees. If she thought he was infuriating before... He saw her lower lip stick out in a pouting way and the unamused look in her eyes- exactly what he was hoping for. It was _too _easy to aggravate her to no end. What was better is that he didn't even have to come up with new ideas, but he would admit, his ghost powers gave him a new edge...

"Really?" she crossed her arms and looked up at him. "_ Really? _"

Vlad leaned over and looked down at her, making sure to rub in the fact he was still taller. That he could float made it all the better to get on her nerves. It was either this or his schemes, or so he said, and she'd rather him do the former. It was a joyous way to spend his time plotting- sibling revenge plots were far more satisfying than the more, uh, questionable ones he's made. Besides, she couldn't ghostly wail him.

"Really," he mused in a smug and drawn out way.

Vlad floated out of her reach as she grabbed for his cape again. Her little pouty face looked so adorably angry and saying that would only make her do a closed-mouthed growl. Aww, somebody was a little mad... Vlad gave her a fang-full grin that was smug as ever. Cocky, arrogant, and rubbing her stature in with the look on his vampiric face.

"Count boo-berry," she said flatly.

Vlad tapped her shoulder and turned invisible. After she was thoroughly confused and flustered, he picked her up by the ankle. After a small scream of surprise, she shot him a wide-eyed look of angry warning. This was just _ too _ easy. Teasing her with ghost powers was far more enjoyable for him than it was for her. It was so cute how she thought she could rival him, and yet he still knew not to take this too far for her sake.

He took a free hand and fake yawned as she crossed her arms. At this point, she knew she couldn't fight him. Vlad knew she'd give him something to worry about if his powers got suppressed, but that was of no concern at the current moment. It wasn't like she could go anywhere right now. So, he smirked at her.

"Miss Masters," he toyed acting as the Wisconsin Ghost, "So good to see you."

"Oh no," she drawled. "Help, he's got me. I'm _ so _ scared."

Vlad out a vampire "bleh" and bared his fangs with mouth open and his free hand making a "claw". She placed an arm across her forehead and pretended to be a damsel in distress. Only those two would do end up doing this- considering Daniel was more of a jumpscare kind of brother. Sadly, Maddie wouldn't find this funny. Nobody _had _to tell her about this.

"Meddle not in the affairs of a vampire, mortal." he hissed jokingly.

She clasped her hands with a smile and laughing eyes, "Oh please grand vampire lord Fruitloop, spare me."

The two cracked up. Only she could get away with that and make him laugh- and she knew it well. With the gut-busting laughter dying down, they looked at each other. Wiping tears away, they let out a sigh. Just like good old times. Ah, the memories.

Vlad set her down gently onto her feet and wrapped a brotherly arm around her. Putting his cape around her, while he still wore it, it kept the starting drizzle off her. Maddie would _flip _if she saw this. Jack would _flip _if he saw this. Jazz and Danny, though, wouldn't say a word of it to their parents. 

To teleport or to walk was the question at hand. Eh, they could walk for now. If they ran into ghost hunters he could just scare everyone and make them think he kidnapped her. Earn brownie points for hunting his ghost half and have an excuse to take a day or two off to spend time with her. It was a win-win situation.

Rich earthy aromas surrounded them in those woods. A chill crept into the air as the drizzle became a light rain, but never the less it was a nice time for a peaceful walk home. With him being mayor and, occasionally, helping Danny fend off ghosts the two didn't have as much time together as they had hoped. Just the two of them, they would add.

Hours had passed since they had entered the woods. Without them realizing it they had caused the town to worry about where Miss Masters was; they weren't as secretive as they had hoped for. Walking back was much slower than him just teleporting, duh, and flying in the rain would only chill his little sister "to the bones" as the saying went.

"Putrid ectoplasmic scum-" the voice was in the distance, "-you will _ pay _."

Looks like there was a search party. With a sigh, the two knew what was coming if Maddie found them, and neither wanted to deal with the whole "all ghosts are evil" shpeel. Vlad didn't feel like having his college crush shooting at him and Christine _certainly _didn't want to be stuck with playing twenty questions over why she was with _that_ ghost.

Maddie came closer little by little, but both of them knew she was behind them. She would probably see a second of them together. Maddie Fenton would stand there in disbelief before running up to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her and she would come to find out they weren't. The two would enjoy the peace even afterward, for Maddie finding them wouldn't change the fact the world had mended for the both of them.

Vlad tried not to think about the fact he had tried to kidnap her before. Life regrets that most people didn't have seemed to be his specialty, but Christine seemed to have trouble following her that was never her fault. It always came from him. Yet, she seemed to accept that it would impact her instead of just leaving him. 

The halfa stepped behind a tree and transformed. With a smile and a wink, he walked beside Christine with nothing to worry about now. Maddie wouldn't suspect that anything was amiss. In fact, she'd think he probably saved her. Perhaps not, but she had no idea halfas existed- and it was no fault to her. Christine had been more of a daydreaming girl who loved whimsy more than science.

That's how she could easily believe he was half-ghost. It meant he wasn't gone, that he was _alive_. The light that had sparked in her eyes when she had first seen him in person after all this time _screamed _that part of her had died when he had left. It sang that she felt truly alive again and he'd not let her lose that again.

"I swear if you even so much as hurt one hair," Maddie was closer now. "you will _ suffer." _

Vlad let a blood-red glow flash for a bit when Christine looked in his eyes. His raised brow and the knowing look was cocky as ever- she gave a soft punch to his arm. That cape of his had remained, for some reason, even though he was in human form. The cape wasn't white anymore, it was pitch with a royal blue inside. 

The clasps were a soft silver that gleamed softly, as Christine would describe them. It added a certain enigmatic air to him. Let it stay, the transformation wouldn't remove it. Maddie was closer now, and he hadn't the slightest bit of fear. Christine was a little on edge, but he gave her a reassuring look. Soon soft smile bloomed on her face. Conflict avoidance was before the cape, now came the pranks.

"I will rip you apart. Every. Single. Molecule." Maddie was _quite _mad tonight.

Don't be fooled, he still had feelings for Maddie. By now, though, he had learned to accept that she would not be his bride. No matter how much he longed for the past to have gone a different way, it couldn't be changed. Not in wisdom, that is. Honestly, it was fun acting mysterious and dramatic. Even if this time it was perilous.

Stepping into view, she would find Vlad facing her with the moon adding an ominous light to his face. Yeah, the whole ' let's just play it cool' idea was far gone. Let her assume that the Wisconsin Ghost had overshadowed him. _Let _her be tricked- it was only all the better to cover for any suspicion she had of the truth. Even if this_ did _make revealing said truth more complicated.

"Ah, Maddie." he mused. "Poor Christine was out here all alone."

He placed his finger-tips together as the wind stirred slightly. Yeah, he was having way too much fun here. An idiot did not describe him, what _ did _describe him was a trickster who took ruses too far because they were amusing. Maddie strode forward one slow step at a time with her gun pointed. She didn't know what was going on, save that Vlad wasn't himself tonight. The halfa knew that full well...

"That cape," she started. "Vlad never wears a cape."

Vlad let the red seep into his eyes to where only Maddie would see. It faded before he turned to Christine and acted as if nothing were wrong. As if his eyes _hadn't _glowed. As if, as if Maddie had imagined it all. Christine could play along here far easier than acting afraid of his ghost half nowadays. Even better that she seemed as if she didn't realize the "danger" at hand. She paused several feet away, not knowing if he was overshadowed or _the_ Wisconsin Ghost. 

He gave a warm laugh and Christine did as well. Acting like the danger had passed and they were simply having time as siblings, Vlad had that goofy grin on his face. Christine didn't approve of him messing with Maddie any more, but it wasn't like she could boss him around. Her privately shot flat look told him that. The catch was that he was older than her, after all. Overruled dear sister, overruled.

He shot a sinister look at his college friend when Christine looked away. It killed part of him that he thought this fun, but for the most part, he enjoyed this acting. Now that he was, sort of, reformed the danger wasn't ac there most of the time. Beautiful how easy this manipulation was. If he said that out loud, Christine would have a long lecture for him. No thank you, he would not have his little sister scold him.

"Oh really?" he said as if it were a calm question. "Perhaps I wanted to for a change."

"Then why does it look like-" Maddie was cut short.

"The Wisconsin Ghosts'?" Vlad just smiled as he stepped forward slowly and deliberately, "Whyever would you think that?"

Her finger was on the trigger now. Oh, she was livid, don't for a second think she was just a cowering woman. Maddie also remembered the fact she had almost been taken by this Wisconsin Ghost, bad decision on his part, and now he had Christine. Who, by the way, fully believed this "imposter" was her brother. Vlad could read her like a book-she was just like she was in college in many ways.

"Stop it," she hissed. "This isn't funny anymore."

"Oh it still is," he whispered.

He gave her an "I am the boss of you, so deal with it" look. Oh, she had to hold her anger in since it would only scare Maddie more. Too late, sister, Maddie already suspected ghostly influence. So she had to play along by being a good little girl and pretending he wasn't a "dummy head", to quote her teenage years.

"I did pass her test," Vlad mused darkly. "Wouldn't her's be far more difficult?"

Maddie's hands shook slightly, one false move and he'd take Christine away. No- he'd take them both. Vlad grinned a little wider at the thought that he used to be the serious one in college and would frown on this "childish" behavior years ago. He wasn't going to kidnap her this time. Now if she assumed that it wasn't entirely his fault since she thought _all _ghosts were evil.

Silence hung in the air as the wind stirred his pale hair. Leaves swirled in the breeze and only added to the eerieness of it all. Perfect, it was perfect. He swept out an arm as if to ask her to come closer like he was simply an old friend. It was more of a grand and slightly sinister gesture instead of a messy and warm one. Again, he was having a little too much fun.

"It's just as dangerous for you to be out _ alone, _" he raised an eyebrow with a calm look. "now isn't it?"

Maddie wanted to pull the trigger, but somehow, she couldn't. It was the mental factor of shooting the image of her creep-of-a-friend. Just because he was a creep, didn't mean she wished anything bad upon him. Vlad knew she'd still consider the fact he was overshadowed and that, that is what kept her from shooting. Another step forward brought him a short distance from her.

"Wouldn't you know if I was overshadowed," he questioned. "or a ghost?"

"You," she hardened her face. "aren't Vlad."

Vlad knocked the gun from her hand in a superhuman movement with no haste whatsoever. A smug look crossed his face as the weapon was now his, leaving her "defenseless". No way would he give it back yet. This game was just getting started and he would _win_ this little contest, or so help him. Who was more fearsome and dreadful- him, a half-ghost, or his ghost-hunting college classmates?

Now Christine let a little fake swaying take place as if she was under a spell. Vlad let out a soft laugh tinged by his ghostly voice. Usually, his voice sounded completely normal in his human form. He grinned and let his fangs appear with a persistent red glow in his irises. Almost magically, when he was pulling shenanigans with his sister, he became somewhat of an idiot. A jerkfaced idiot.

"Maybe I'm not," he hissed. "or maybe I _ am _."

Christine pretended to move forward as if she was under his control. Not actually overshadowing his sister, but only having a duplicate inside her to create the same red glow in her eyes. A wicked grin spread as he crushed the gun with his bare hands, yes he would pay for a replacement, and red misty light trailed from his eyes. Looking her dead in the eyes he never blinked. Breathing shallowly enough to give the illusion of breathlessness, save the breaths he breathed to speak.

"Look into my eyes," his voice was becoming less and less human. "Maddie."

She tried to break the unblinking gaze, but couldn't for a few seconds. Shaking her head she steeled her eyes and made sure not to lock onto his. Sadly, this little game would have to end sooner than he'd like. Phantom would come and ruin the fun even if he knew what was going on. He turned from her and looked back with a closed-lipped smile, his eyes now blue along with Christine's.

"Sweet dreams Maddie," his voice was normal now. "After all, isn't this only a nightmare?"

With that he teleported away with Christine, leaving Maddie alone in the woods once more.

~~~

In Vlad's room, folded neatly, was a pitch cape with a royal blue underside. Sunlight streamed strongly through the windows of the living room. Laughing to himself, he thought back on how easy it was to prank his friends. Okay, this might be a sign he needed to have another talk with Christine. Still, it was far better than _ real _ schemes. At least, in his mind. Now he knew that was a poor reason in itself, but as long as Christine didn't nag at him he was fine. If she did, he could always teleport away.

"_ Vlad_," she insisted. "That was not okay. The Psychological impact-"

"You're like Jasmine" he teased. "Except you're not in charge of your brother, now are you?"

Oh, Jasmine would chew him out something fierce. Both of the siblings would, but still, then he would laugh. After all, he was still stronger than Daniel and Jasmine's aim was still lacking. Christine would be the one to thermos him, he knew. Not on accident.

_ Go ahead and try, dear sister, see what happens, _ he thought. _ You can only do so much to stop me. _

_ " _Well and the fact you're still shor-"

"Grand vampire lord fruitloop," she sassed as she threw a throw pillow at him "Shut up."


	2. Ghostbusters!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edit- I forgot to even put this
> 
> Vlad's in the hospital, stuck with his own thoughts. The first time his family is allowed to visit after the accident, well- I'll just say Christine's eagerness to see her big bro causes problems on accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr prompt~ Describe Vlad’s time in the hospital after he got his ghost powers.

The nurses walked in and did what they always did. First, check his vitals, take notes, see how he was doing. Sweet unholy blazing butter biscuits just give him the- fudge sickle pain medication. The _only _benefit he could even consider in waiting would be that he’d be in less pain when his family visited. At least he could be awake when they came.

“_It burns_,” he croaked in complaint.  
  
The light normally blinded him, so he didn’t bother opening his eyes yet. It hurt too much already. Heat seared all over his face ever since the gosh-darn portal blasted him, but his veins _blazed_ with pain. His blood felt like acid and the doctors could only give him something to make it burn less. Not cure him or make it go away entirely, just help it to burn _less.__  
__  
_ Time and time again the doctors told him he wasn’t dying. No one knew what he had or where to begin searching for a cure. They didn’t bother lying on how little they knew, but they assured him he wasn’t dying. Yet.  
  
Intangibility, invisibility, floating- what was this insanity? Humans didn't do that, and superpowers weren't real. Or so he thought. What _was_ this? It wasn't just a young man with powers- he felt inhuman.

_Am I alive? Am I dead? _ Vlad looked at his hands- a bluish tint crept into them and he shoved his whatever-it-was down. _Or something in between?_

He had fangs in that, er, form... Blood red eyes that glowed and of course, blue skin. Was he some vampire now? No, if he was sunlight would burn him. Although- the blood blossoms Christine brought hurt whenever his... His other half came out. Vlad sighed softly, he couldn't bring himself to tell her   
  
_How long do I have then before whatever affliction I have finally kills me? I highly doubt they’ll find a cure before this plague takes my life if I'm not already dead?_ _No matter what they’ve done, it’s only progressed further. Bones aren’t supposed to be on fire..._  
  
“It’ll be another hour-” the nurse whirled around, “Oh my _GOD_.”  
  
Speaking of her... She bolted into the room- right in front of them, his little sister skidded to a halt, with no hazmat suit. Was she _mad?! _Don’t yell, don’t-  
"Vladdles!" she beamed.

_Sweet butter biscuits and gravy Christine Hermia Masters get a hazmat suit on! __I swear child, you will give me a heart attack one of these days! Do you know how-  
  
_“_C__hristine_ **Hermia** **_Masters!_** Get a hazmat suit on!” his instinct decided that yelling, in fact, was the only option.  
  
“Hazmat suit? Oh S-Sauron.”   
  
“We need to put you in isolation for a while,” the nurse went on to make arrangements, and muttered a little too loudly, "Where are your parents?!"  
  
The siblings looked at each other, knowing that in a few moments two frantic adults none other than their parents would be rushing in at warp speed. The terrified look in her eyes screamed back his fears. Breathing in, he knew it wouldn't be of any use to yell at her more. After all, they were just now cleared to see him for the first time after the accident...  
  
At length, he rasped, once the nurse was out of the room, “Fudgesickle Christine, this isn’t like the common cold.”  
  
Shrinking down, sulking, she whispered, “I know.”

"Christine Hermia," he spoke gently but sternly. "You _don't_ want to catch this."  
  
"I-I know," her voice cracked.  
  
_Is she _**still **_blaming herself? It wasn't her fault Jack put diet cola into the ghost portal experiment, all she did was convince me to go. The fool would have done that even if he'd decided not to go. Christine might be an idiot, but this wasn't her fault at all. Now the fact she is possibly_ **_infected_**_-_  
  
“We love you, but we’re going to kill you for this,” he kept his eyes open just enough to see the look on her face.  
  
"If I die and become a ghost, don't call the ghostbusters on me." she laughed just a little.  
  
Shoving down the feeling writhing deep inside him, he forced himself to chuckle with her softly. It didn't matter what _this _was, it didn't have to change the way he felt about her. The burning feeling flared, but the pain dulled just barely. Whatever this sickness could be, whatever _he__'d _become, he still had his family.  
  
"I ain't afraid of no ghost," she smiled a little, "or a gorilla."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started the fill in fall of 2019, decided to pop back in, and realized I had some snippets stashed as unposted chapters so I mixed the parts fill I started this year with the old stuff, added some more, and ta-da!


	3. The End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny has a moment of panic to say the least  
This one does have minor spoilers for chapter 5 of Masters of All Time, but nothing too major.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt~ Danny finds out that the new teacher at his school is Vlad’s little sister.
> 
> This came out Halloween last year and it took me this long to make a fill. (procrastination) *cough* XD

“His sister did get a job here,” Sam asked him as she and Tucker stood by his locker, “or did you just not believe she was his sister?”

_I mean, it’s pretty unlikely they’ll both wanna waste dad. She’d know what that’d cause, and she seemed ticked off at Vlad when she came here. Okay, so why is she here? Oh- yeah, she works here. She _**_works_** _here- why would she get a job when Vlad’s rich?_

“So she’s actually his sister,” Danny just didn’t know why no one mentioned her before.

_ Yeah, he probably sent her here. Of course, I won’t say that in front of Jazz again. Man, that made Jazz mad. Maybe- she’s honest? I don’t know. The last “counselor” who knew I was half ghost was Spectra… Please tell me Spectra won’t manage to run her off somehow too. Whether she’s working with Vlad or not, she can’t possibly be worse than Spectra. _

Sam elbowed him and muttered out of the corner of her mouth, “stop starting...”   
  
Yet, he couldn’t stop staring. She was here, in the school. She’d know, she’d have to know he was Danny Phantom. She _knew_ about Vlad. How could she not see that he was Danny Phantom? It looked like she decided to come right towards them.

“Why is she-” Danny wondered apprehensively.

_ Remember, Jazz told you to give her a fair chance. Okay- play it cool, and if anything goes wrong, we’ll figure it out. It’ll be fine, yeah, it’s not like she’s nuts right? I mean, she has credentials. Breathe, Fenton, breathe- _

“You okay?” Miss  Fruitloop Masters asked.

_ Okay, just be normal. You act like you can get along with him in front of certain people. This won’t be so bad in the halls, at least. I mean- there’s only so much she can do, whether she’s working for Vlad or not. Like that helps anything with Vlad being involved. ...Jazz did say not to accuse her of anything right off- but that doesn’t mean we have to trust her. _

_ I mean- why keep it a secret? They didn’t talk about Vlad much, sure, but even after Vlad showed up. No one even mentioned her. Why is she looking at me like that? It’s like she- oh no. He  _ ** _did_ ** _ tell her. _

“I’m fine,” he lied without knowing he’d be in her office within the week.

_Don’t force me to talk about it, please. Please, not on a Monday, not on the first day you’re here, not when the past three Mondays were filled with ghost attacks. I’m fine. I can just talk to Jazz. I don’t need to get therapy right now. I’m _**_fine._**  
  
After he was sure she closed her office door, he walked a ways away with Sam and Tucker. Three teens stared at each other. Two flat expressions met one paranoid half-dead teen.

“You realize she didn’t buy that, right?” Tucker pointed out.  
  
“Danny, It’s not the end of the world as we know it,” Sam reassured him.  
  
As soon as she finished speaking, Dash shoved Danny into an open locker. The door to the councilor’s office flew open, and Miss Fruitloop Masters locked eyes with Dash. A slight Vlad-like look, but sane, rested in her eyes. Keeping a tired look and a frown on his face, he knew it’d work no matter if she was cheesehead’s partner in crime or not.  
  
“He did it.” Danny pointed at Dash.


	4. A Matter of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An au of sorts set in the same verse as Masters of All Time- Vlad picks the third option but finds that it has its own woes. The last people he expected to understand were children he normally fought.
> 
> Chapter specific warning/head's up- slight cussing, mostly angst, mentions of drinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt~ There’s more than one way for Dan and his bad future to happen, and the Observants just found one that Clockwork hasn’t taken care of yet. If they can’t have it one way, they’ll have it another; the Observants want Vlad dead.

The Observants summoned him here, they ripped him away from his plans. How _dare_ they. How **_dare_**they rip him away right before he could unlock the Crown of Fire's secrets. So what if they didn't want a king- that was their problem, not his. If they couldn't stop the past that made him the man he was, then why did they have the right to end his existence?  
  
Firing a blast at them, he found himself back to back with Clockwork who stopped time as long as he could before rewinding it for the Observants alone, Setting them up so his chaotic flames took down as many as possible. Most if not all of them wanted Vlad Masters wiped from history and memory. Breathing heavily, he struggled to keep his ghost form active. When he collapsed onto his knees his human form emerged. So this is how it ended. **_No._**  
  
"Time Out!"  
  
Struggling onto one foot, he could barely hold the position, let alone get up entirely. Yet, he grabbed Clockwork's hand to stand again. If there were going to erase him from everyone else's memory he would make sure they remembered him for centuries to come. He wouldn't go out lying down, submissive and pathetic. Clenching his fist, pure hatred entered his eyes. Clockwork placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"The hatred is the reason they want to wipe you from the timeline," Clockwork consoled him, "I can prevent this but to do so, you'll either have to lose your human half or your memories for the time being."  
  
"I presume no matter what option I decide to choose, there's the risk you can't restore what I lost?" Vlad's voice could've frozen the fire in his core, "Would it be an option to seal my ghost half?"  
  
  


* * *

  
Daniel watched him closely, unknowing of the fact that he couldn't even so much as turn invisible. The burning he'd grown accustomed to faded to cinders in comparison from what it was. The pulsing of his core felt faint and- he couldn't eat ecto-contaminated food. For all functional purposes, he wasn't a half ghost anymore. Still, it was the best option he could hope for.  
  
"What do you want Daniel?" he snapped.  
  
The boy stood in front of his little friends like nothing had changed, "You've been quiet lately- too quiet. What are you up to, fruitloop?"   
  
On instinct, he tried to pull the ghostly energy to the surface, but only felt a flicker of heat in his hands, before it faded back to the last remains of a fire that's almost snuffed out. Desperation set in for a moment as he pulled again, only for the fire to surge weaker. After twenty years of being half ghost, it'd been stripped from him in an instant. The summer air felt colder than it should. It wouldn't feel cold to a mere common man. To him, it still felt like the chill of autumn.   
  
Silently, he got up, walked to a cabinet, and proceeded to pour himself some wine. Why couldn't they go bother someone else? They had to torment him when he'd left them alone for a few months, talking to them as only Vlad Masters. Not showing any sign of his plans, and certainly not letting on that his powers were sealed. Gone. What was the difference at this point? He wanted to be alone with his cat.  
  
"Leave me alone." he took a sip of wine.  
  
They didn't leave. Instead, they walked around to look him in the eyes when he'd intentionally seated himself to face in the opposite direction. No, he didn't have to tell them anything. He didn't have to tell him that he'd nearly caused the ruin of the timeline, he didn't have to tell them Clockwork showed him the deaths of Maddie, Jasmine, Mr.Lancer, and Jack. All of whom he felt sorrow over. What he didn't _want_ to tell them is he had the torture of seeing all three of them die.  
  
Pouring another glass, he knew they would never listen to him. The times they did were rare, and normally far more was at stake than just Amity Park. This time it was a gulp. He never thought much of the fact they'd never watched him drink. They'd know he did, wouldn't they, or were they still that nieve? 

_Innocent-_ something inside him whispered out of envy.  
  
"Isn't it a bit early to get drunk Cheesehead?" Samantha quipped with her concern bleeding through.  
  
"If you'd have left me alone, you wouldn't know that I'd start drinking." he spat back.  
  
To his shock, Daniel encased his wine in ice. At least he had the decency to put the cork back in... For a few moments, a loathing stare met the only halfa in Amity Park, then softened a little. They were smarter than he thought, these bothersome teenagers could see that he wasn't the man they knew. Not only that, but they cared enough to persist when he tried to shove them away. It didn't matter, he wouldn't tell them all of what he knew.  
  
"You're acting weird," Daniel stared at him, "what's going on?"  
  
"Due to circumstances I'm not going to explain, I no longer have access to my powers," he spoke shortly.  
  
It didn't matter, perhaps he could go back to his family but everyone wanted him. Not considering he admitted what he was, why he'd left, and how it took until now for him to come back. Why should he care anymore? He couldn't get what he could have had if he'd never became a halfa in the first place. His innocence had died long before he became a "villain" in the eyes of these children.  
  
_"So you still run off and make us think you were dead?" his aunt shrieked, "It'd be one thing if you weren't some rich boy, living high on the hog without even thinking of us! Your mother raised you better than this!"  
  
__Edith sat in a chair beside the couch, glaring up at him as he stood in the middle of the room in shock. Immediately she tore into him, without even waiting for the others to express what they felt in words. He'd understand if they hated him for this, but she went so far as to keep everyone else from embracing him. All he could do was stand there and stare at her like an **idiot.  
  
**__His father stared at her in shock, his sister looked like a puppy someone kicked, Helena had venom in her eyes, and his uncle looked as if he wanted to protest. No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity. What kind of fool was he for not figuring she'd be the one to be sour about it? It didn't surprise him when his sister broke the silence with something between a whine and a shrill of pain._  
  
_ "__You understand what we went through after he died. Aunt Edith, you know that we lived __for **years **thinking__ it was our fault we'd never see him again. Can't you just be happy he's home? That he doesn't hate us for what we did to him- he **missed** us!"  
  
__"If he cared, he would have told you **years** ago, instead of snubbing his nose at us because we weren't good enough for him! I bet the only real reason he's come crawling back is because he's out of money."  
  
Dead silence filled the room. What the hell? She hadn't always been like this. At least she never had the nerve to spit that abomination of speech back out when someone grieved. What the **hell? **__An empty spot in his father's house screamed at him more than anyone in the room. Tears streamed down his cheeks, leaving dark streaks behind.__  
  
"Mom-" Helena gave her mother an icy stare, "Did you ever stop to think he didn't know what the hell was going on? He didn't have to wait over a decade, but did you ever think this is what he was afraid of?"  
  
The word mom stabbed him. The "empty" spot shouldn't be empty, his mother couldn't be dead. Why wouldn't his aunt be quiet when she knew this tirade would only tear them apart more? She's the one who didn't care. If something didn't go her way, then no one could have it their way. Even she shouldn't have the gall to-  
  
"Maybe he should've come back before Ursula died."  
  
In a blur, Christine ran out of the room bawling. Instead of following her, he froze in place. Their father got up seconds afterward and followed her, while everything in him screamed to go with them, part of him felt rooted to the spot. No matter how desperately he wanted to leave the room and get away from **her**, he couldn't. The heat flared in him more than it had in weeks, but nothing beyond the heat came.  
  
"Do you think I wanted this?" he roared, "Do you think I wanted to lay dying in a hospital bed, wondering what day would be my last, only to become a half-dead freak?!" I'm your nephew for the **Ancient's sake.**"  
  
Slowly, she stood up, with nothing warm in her eyes. The old bat, the old hag, walked up to him. She looked him dead in the eyes from where she stood. Barely an inch from him, she stared into his hurting eyes when he clearly begged for her to stop, and crushed his soul.  
  
__"You aren't my nephew." his aunt walked past him and shut the door.  
  
__It didn't slam but clicked shut quietly. His father called him son when he'd never believed in ghosts before today. His sister who'd have every reason to be afraid of him ran up and nearly hugged him to death after fully realizing he still loved her, his cousin who worked for the Guys in White called him her half-dead cousin, and his uncle Francis who was literally allergic to ghosts asked where he could find allergy medicine so he could be around his only nephew without sneezing all the time.  
  
__Edith, from an outsider's view, would be the most likely to take him back. From an **outsider's** view. On the inside, everyone feared she'd belittle him. This? No one thought she'd disown him, much less by blaming him for his mother's death. He'd died to his aunt the moment an empty coffin had been laid in the ground, despite the fact his body still walked.  
  
_"My aunt disowned me," he slammed his fist on the table, "and she tried to make everyone else follow suit."  
  
"Dude-" Tucker took off his hat in sympathy, "that's not okay."  
  
As Daniel threw his wine in the trash, he didn't even move. Nothing could get convince his aunt to call him family again. Francis divorced her over the fact she threw acid onto his wounds, tore open his scars, and might as well have spat in his face. He'd prefer the last one over the fact their family lay in more shards than when he'd left. The fact that these _teenagers_ cared more about him knowing what atrocities he'd committed only ripped open his bleeding heart further in the fact his aunt disowned him without fully knowing what he'd become.  
  
"I don't even care that I lost my powers-" he gritted his teeth.  
  
Black rings swept across him, harshly mocking his pain. Salt poured onto the thousand cuts he'd gained over twenty years of being half ghost. Clockwork restored his powers after all, but what did it matter? He knew he was living on borrowed time, that one day it'd come crashing in, and the false sense of satisfaction would turn on him.  
  
His red eyes blazed, "It was only a matter of time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this hurt you will it help if I admit it hurt me too?


End file.
